The MACPA’s influence on the accounting and finance profession continues to grow.

No fewer than 13 MACPA employees, members, and strategic partners — including new MACPA CEO Rebekah Brown — have been included on Accounting Today’s 2022 list of “The Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.”

"I'm honored and humbled to be included on this prestigious list, and I'm beyond proud that MACPA members and partners continue to be recognized for their immeasurable influence on the profession at large," said Brown. "These people aren't just colleagues. They're friends and thought leaders, and they are helping to lead our profession forward into an exciting, promising future."

Of Brown, Accounting Today writes the following:

"The Maryland Association of CPAs has long since established itself as one of the most forward-looking of state societies, and Brown played a high-profile role in building the national platform from which she will now have an outsized influence on the future of the profession."

Former MACPA CEO Tom Hood, now the executive vice president of business engagement and growth at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, has once again been named the second most influential person in the profession, one position behind AICPA CEO Barry Melancon.

And Kimberly Ellison-Taylor — former chair of the MACPA, the American Institute of CPAs, and the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants boards of directors — has been named the fourth most influential person in the profession.

Other MACPA members and partners on this year’s Top 100 list are:

• Erik Asgeirsson, CEO and president of CPA.com, an MACPA Preferred Provider.
• Kim Austin, director of global strategic accounting partnerships with Avalara, an MACPA Preferred Provider.
• Wayne Berson, CEO of BDO USA and an MACPA member.
• Kacee Johnson, vice president of strategy and innovation with CPA.com, an MACPA Preferred Provider.
• Edward Karl, vice president of tax policy and advocacy with the AICPA and an MACPA member.
• Ed Kless, a Meta consultant with Sage, an MACPA Preferred Provider.
• Rene Lacerte, CEO and founder of Bill, an MACPA Preferred Provider.
• Anoop Mehta, chair of the AICPA Board of Directors and former chair of the MACPA Board of Directors.
• Jody Padar, vice president of tax strategy and evangelism at April and an MACPA member.
• Scott Peterson, vice president of U.S. tax policy and government relations with Avalara, an MACPA Preferred Provider.

"We are incredibly proud to see this many MACPA connections standing out in a profession that includes more than half a million CPAs in the United States," Brown said. "Each of them understands that with great influence comes great responsibility — one we take seriously in our efforts to connect, protect, and help a CPA-led profession achieve success. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to each of them.”